Caf. I must be laugh'd at,

If, or for nothing, or a little, I

Should fay myfelf offended; and with you
Chiefly i' the world: more laught at, that I should
Once name you derogately, when to found
Your name it not concern'd me.

Ant. My being in Egypt, Cæfar, what was't to
you?

Caf. No more than my refiding here at Rome Might be to you in Egypt: yet, if you there Did practife on my state, your being in Egypt Might be my question.

Ant. How intend you, practis'd?

Caf. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine intent,

By what did here befal.

Your wife and brother

Made wars upon me; and their conteftation

s their conteftation

Was theam for you, you were the word of war.]

Was

The only meaning of this can be, that the war, which Antony's wife and brother made upon Cæfar, was theam for Antony too to make war; or was the occafion why he did make war. But this is directly contrary to the context, which fhews, Antony did neither encourage them to it, nor fecond them in it. We cannot doubt then, but the poet wrote;

-and their conteftation

Was theam'd for you.

i. e. The pretence of the war was on your account, they took up arms in your name, and you were made the theme and subject of their infurrection. WARB.

I am neither satisfied with the reading nor the emendation; theam'd is, I think, a word unauthorised, and very harsh. Perhaps we may read,

their conteftation

Had theme from you, you were the word o' th' war. The difpute derived its fubject from you. It may be corrected by mere tranfpofition,

-their conteftation

You were theme for, you were the word.

JOHNS.

Was

Was theam for you, you were the word of war.
Ant. You do mistake your business; my brother

never

Did urge me in his act: I did inquire it,

And have my learning from fome true reports?
That drew their fwords with you. Did he not rather
Difcredit my authority with yours;

8

And make the wars alike against my stomach,

Having alike your caufe? Of this, my letters Before did fatisfy you. If you'll patch a quarrel, 'As matter whole you have not to make it with, It must not be with this.

Caf. You praise yourself,

By laying defects of judgment to me; but
You patch'd up your excuses.

Ant. Not fo, not fo:

I know you could not lack, I am certain on't,
Very neceffity of this thought, that I,

Was theam for you I believe means only, was proposed as an example for you to follow on a yet more extenfive plan; as themes are given for a writer to dilate STEEVENS.

upon.

6 my brother never

Did urge me in his aết :

-]

i.e. never did make ufe of my name as a pretence for the war.

7

8

true reports.] Reports for reporters.

WARBURTON.
STEEVENS.

Having alike your caufe?-] The meaning feems to be, having the fame caufe as you to be offended with me. But why, because he was offended with Antony, fhould he make war upon Cæfar? May it not be read thus,

-Did he not rather

Difcredit my authority with yours,

And make the wars alike against my fomach,

Hating alike our cause ?

JOHNSON,

9 As matter whole you have not to make it with,] The original

copy reads,

As matter whole you have to make it with.

Without doubt erroneoufly; I therefore only obferve it, that the reader may more readily admit the liberties which the editors of this authour's works have neceffarily taken.

JOHNSON.

Your

Your partner in the caufe 'gainst which he fought,
Could not with grateful eyes attend thofe wars,
Which ''fronted mine own peace. As for my wife,
I would, you had her spirit in fuch another:
The third o' the world is yours, which with a fnaffle
You may pace eafy, but not fuch a wife.

Eno. 'Would, we had all fuch wives, that the men might go to wars with the women!

2

Ant. So much uncurbable, her garboiles, Cæfar, Made out of her impatience, (which not wanted Shrewdnefs of policy too) I grieving grant, Did you too much difquiet: for that, you must But fay, I could not help it.

Caf. I wrote to you,

When rioting in Alexandria, you

Did pocket up my letters; and with taunts.
Did gibe my miffive out of audience.

Ant. Sir, he fell on me, ere admitted; then
Three kings I had newly feafted, and did want
Of what I was i' the morning: but, next day,
3 I told him of myfelf; which was as much
As to have ask'd him pardon. Let this fellow
Be nothing of our ftrife; if we contend,
Out of our queftion wipe him.

Caf You have broken

The article of your oath; which you shall never

-frented-] i. e. oppofed.

2

JOHNSON.

her garbiles-1 i.e. the disturbance fhe made. The word is ufed by Heywood, in the Rape of Lucrece, 1616.

"thou, Tarquin, doft alone furvive

"The head of all thefe garboiles."

And by Stanyhurst, in his translation of the first four books of Virgil. 1582.

"Now manhood and garboils I chaunt, and martial horror." STEEVENS.

3 I told him of myself;] i. e. told him the condition I was in, when he had his laft audience.

WARD,

Have tongue to charge me with.

Lep. Soft, Cæfar.

Ant. No, Lepidus, let him fpeak;

+ The honour's facred which he talks on now, Suppofing that I lack'd it. But, on, Cæfar. The article of my oath,

Caf. To lend me arms, and aid, when I requir'd them;

The which you both deny'd.

Ant. Neglected, rather;

And then, when poifon'd hours had bound me up
From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may,
I'll play the penitent to you: but mine honefty
Shall not make poor my greatnefs; nor my power
Work without it. Truth is, that Fulvia,
To have me out of Egypt, made wars here;
For which myfelf, the ignorant motive, do
So far afk pardon, as befits mine honour
To stoop in fuch a case.

Lep. Tis nobly spoken.

Mec. If it might please you, to enforce no further The griefs between you: to forget them quite Were to remember that the present need

Speaks to atone you.

Lep. Worthily fpoken, Mécænas.

Eno. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the inftant, you may, when you hear no more words of

↑ The honour's facred-] Sacred, for unbroken, unviolated.

WARB.

Dr. Warburton feems to understand this paffage thus; The bonour which he talks of me as lacking, is unviolated, I never lacked it. This may perhaps be the true meaning, but before I read the note, I underfood it thus: Lepidus interrupts Cæfar, on the fuppofition that what he is about to fay will be too harsh to be endured by Antony; to which Antony replies, No, Lepidus, let him fpeak, the fecurity of honour on which he now fpeaks, on which this conference is held now, is facred, even fuppofing that I Jacked bonour before. JOHNSON.

VOL. VIII.

L

Pompey,

Pompey, return it again. You fhall have time to wrangle in, when you have nothing else to do.

Ant. Thou art a foldier only; fpeak no more.

Eno. That truth fhould be filent, I had almost forgot.

Ant. You wrong this prefence; therefore speak no

more.

Eno. Go to then: your confiderate ftone-Caf. • I do not much dislike the matter, but. The manner of his speech: for it cannot be, We shall remain in friendship, our conditions So differing in their acts. Yet, if I knew What hoop would hold us ftaunch, from edge to edge O' the world, I would pursue it.

Agr. Give me leave, Cæfar.

Caf. Speak, Agrippa.

Agr. Thou haft a fifter by the mother's fide, Admir'd Octavia; great Mark Antony

Is now a widower.

Caf. Say not fo, Agrippa;

your confiderate ftone.-] This line is paffed by all the editors, as if they understood it, and believed it univerfally intelligible. I cannot find in it any very obvious, and hardly any poffible meaning. I would therefore read,

Go to then, you confiderate ones.

You, who diflike my franknefs and temerity of fpeech, and are fo
confiderate and discreet, go to, do
bufinefs.
your own
JOHNSON.
I believe Go to then, your confiderate flone means only this: If
I must be chidden, henceforward I will be mute as a marble ftatue,
STEEVENS.
which feems to think, though it can fay nothing.

6 I do not much diflike the matter, but
The manner of bis Speech :-]

I do not, fays Cæfar, think the man wrong, but too free of his interpofition; for't cannot be, we shall remain in friendship; yet if it were poffible, I would endeavour it.

JOHNSON.